House fire claims three lives in Beaverton

Tereasa Nims, for the Daily News

Published
1:35 am EST, Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Beaverton firefighters and police, with assistance from other area agencies, work to secure the scene of a house fire that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 on the 100 block of 1st Street in Beaverton. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Beaverton firefighters and police, with assistance from other area agencies, work to secure the scene of a house fire that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 on the 100 block of 1st

Beaverton firefighters and police, with assistance from other area agencies, work to secure the scene of a house fire that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 on the 100 block of 1st Street in Beaverton. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Beaverton firefighters and police, with assistance from other area agencies, work to secure the scene of a house fire that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 on the 100 block of 1st

Friends of Amy Athey say she was a "bright star" and will be missed along with her 9-year-old daughter Lydia and 18-year-old son Rocco, whose bodies were found after a Tuesday fire at their home at 111 First St. in Beaverton.

Beaverton Police Chief Brad Davis said a 911 call was made at 4:20 a.m. to central dispatch saying there was a fire with visible flames. Michigan State Police fire investigators and Gladwin, Billings and Beaverton fire departments responded to the scene. When rescue crews arrived, two people were outside the house.

One was reportedly Amy's husband Dan, who was taken to Hurley Medical Center. His condition was unknown as of press time.

Friends say the community is grieving the loss, saying that the family had a deep impact on Gladwin County. There were multiple notes on Facebook acknowledging the loss and how people were positively impacted by the family. The fire also was being talked about in local businesses.

"She was a great person, super friendly and full of life," said Lori Hedrick, who owns The Wild Pumpkin with her husband, Jeff, where Athey worked seasonally. "She would do anything for anyone."

Hedrick said she was devastated after hearing the news early Tuesday morning.

Fire and police officials haven't released names of the victims, saying they need to have autopsies done on the recovered bodies of two females and a male found inside the house. However, friends of the victims were speaking about the tragedy Tuesday. A fundraising account was set up by Athey's neighbor and friend, to help cover funeral expenses. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the fundraiser had already reached more than $22,500 of the $30,000 goal.

Children arrived at Beaverton Rural Schools, where Lydia was a fourth grader and Rocco was a senior, devastated by the news. A school employee said many of the children already heard the news by the time they arrived. Counselors from several districts were called in to offer grief support.

Beaverton Fire Chief Matt Fruchey said the cause of the fire has not been confirmed. He said they recovered three bodies from inside the home. He would not release the names, pending the autopsies. It took firefighters time to get into the house Tuesday morning because of instability of the house.

Fruchey said it isn't known if there were smoke detectors or fire prevention devices in the house, but officials will be looking into that.